So…. accidents happen!!  For example, when your dog throws up on your comforter and it says “Dry Clean Only” but there’s vomit on it, and it’s gross, and you put it in the wash anyway, only to realize later why you should have followed the instructions.

See the picture above, well that is what my comforter now looks like. A bag of stuffing and some fabric. After a nice wash and dry in the machine, all the batting clumped to one end and the fancy patchwork comforter was no more.  I cut open the fabric, put the batting in a bag and shoved it to the back of my closet.

Meanwhile, my dog had taken to lying in the pile of fabric as sort of a makeshift bed. After doing a little spring cleaning (and washing his dog-pile bed) I decided to whip out the sewing machine, put the batting to good use, and make my little guy a real bed.

Old Clothes Pillows is also an amazing way to hang on to a part of a favorite old shirt, or kids outfit that is never going to fit again. Tween girls will love filling up their beds with these tiny little pillows, and boys can turn their favorite old sports shirts into team pillows. Sewing skills are required (but not professional!)

1. Using sharp scissors, cut out the shape you are going to use for the front of your pillow. Then, choose and cut a contrasting color or pattern for the pillow back.

2. Pin the fabric together inside-out, and then sew. We used our sewing machine (because practice is good) but, for the most part, these pillows are not that large and can also be sewn by hand. Be sure to leave an opening for stuffing the pillow

3. Flip your pillow case right-side-out and stuff! Since these were to toss around my house, I used poly-fill from an old (clean) dog bed. I also suggest shredding the remainder of the clothing fabric you did not use for stuffing or, stray sock stuffing.

4. Hand-sew the stuffing hole and you’re done! Enjoy! …but watch out, they’re totally addictive!

With the holidays encroaching, this is a great time for getting busy with some arts-n-crafts… and Pant-Leg Pillows make the perfect gift. They are easy to make, customizable and recycled!

This is a easy project for any child or teen. Younger children will need help cutting and tying, but because this project requires no sewing,a child of about 7 or 8 with good cutting skills & who can tie their shoes, could do this project on their own!

To get started all you really need are an old pair of pants or jeans, some polly-fill stuffing, and ribbon or string to tie the ends. To add some more flair, we suggest rhinestones, decorative fabric swatches, or fabric paint (in our example).

reuse idea#2: Keep a bag in the closet for old tights, stockings and pairless socks… these make great stuffing for pillows and dolls!

1. Choose an old pair of pants of jeans and cut off both legs close to the top. These leg-tubes are going to be the outer shell of your pillow, cut to the desired length.

2. If you are going to decorate the pillow, do it now! It is much tougher to work on a stuffed-surface. Keep all artwork 2 or 3 inches from each side.

Note: Young children can use sponge shapes or paint brushes to spread paints on the fabric. Let them make a big mess, it doesn’t matter what it looks like, as long as they have fun doing it. If you want, when they’re done, write their name in the center in the colors they choose.

3. When your artwork is completely dry, gather one end of the tube and secure it tightly with a strong piece of string or ribbon. We tied ours first with string, then added different color ribbon and rick-rack to jazz it up.

4. Once one end is secure, stuff the pillow to your desired firmness. Kids of all ages love this part!

5. Repeat step 3, tie the other end, and you’re done! So easy to make… they’re addictive.